Nova Scotia RCMP issue alert ahead of sex offender 's prison release

James Andrew MacKay 36, is being released from the Atlantic Institution in Renous, N.B. on March 22, 2017.

DARTMOUTH, N.S. - RCMP issued a media release March 21 advising Nova Scotia residents, particularly those in the Yarmouth and Halifax areas, of the release of a high-risk offender.

According to the release, 36-year-old James Andrew MacKay is scheduled to be released from custody March 22 from the Atlantic Institution in Renous, N.B..

RCMP say MacKay has completed a sentence for sexual assault and other offences and the public is being notified in "accordance with the Nova Scotia Release of High Risk Offender Information Protocol."

In 2010, the Shelburne Coast Guard reported MacKay was sentenced to two-years in jail after an incident where he held an ex-girlfriend at knifepoint. He was also convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal after throwing a pet cat against a wall.

"(MacKay) has a criminal record dating back to 2000 that includes convictions for uttering threats, assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, sexual assault, and killing or endangering animals. MacKay has been assessed as being at a high risk to re-offend," the release said. "Violent offences for which MacKay has been convicted have been in the context of intimate relationships."

According to the RCMP, MacKay is under strict conditions for the next two years and won't be allowed to own certain types of weapons, consume alcohol or non-prescription, follow a curfew and is not allowed to communicate with the victim of his crimes.

"This information is provided to alert members of the public of his presence in our community so they may take suitable precautionary measures," the release said. "RCMP warn that any form of vigilante activity or other unreasonable conduct will not be tolerated."

According to the release, 36-year-old James Andrew MacKay is scheduled to be released from custody March 22 from the Atlantic Institution in Renous, N.B..

RCMP say MacKay has completed a sentence for sexual assault and other offences and the public is being notified in "accordance with the Nova Scotia Release of High Risk Offender Information Protocol."

In 2010, the Shelburne Coast Guard reported MacKay was sentenced to two-years in jail after an incident where he held an ex-girlfriend at knifepoint. He was also convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal after throwing a pet cat against a wall.

"(MacKay) has a criminal record dating back to 2000 that includes convictions for uttering threats, assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, sexual assault, and killing or endangering animals. MacKay has been assessed as being at a high risk to re-offend," the release said. "Violent offences for which MacKay has been convicted have been in the context of intimate relationships."

According to the RCMP, MacKay is under strict conditions for the next two years and won't be allowed to own certain types of weapons, consume alcohol or non-prescription, follow a curfew and is not allowed to communicate with the victim of his crimes.

"This information is provided to alert members of the public of his presence in our community so they may take suitable precautionary measures," the release said. "RCMP warn that any form of vigilante activity or other unreasonable conduct will not be tolerated."